Friday, December 1, 2017

Instructors voice opinions about Waterloo classrooms

The Teaching and Learning Spaces Committee has released findings from a survey of instructors run last term to gauge how well classroom space is meeting their needs on campus.

The survey revealed that writing surfaces at the front of the room still play a central role in classrooms, taking the top spot (71 percent) as the most common feature considered mandatory by survey respondents.

The networked podium computer also remains popular, with 60 percent considering it necessary. Options for movement within classrooms is seen as quite important, in the form of movable tables and chairs (over fixed ones), and space for the instructor to circulate among students. While the vast majority of faculty are using teaching-centred methods of instruction (lectures), nearly half use some form of discussions and over a third use small group or partner work. The choice of teaching method is most influenced by the following factors (very important and important responses combined): class size (92 percent), course goals and or learning outcomes (88 percent), course level (83 percent), comfort with the teaching approach (76 percent), and classroom technologies (75 percent).

More than 80 percent of faculty reported that they are using their preferred teaching methods, while 14 percent say they are not. The committee will follow up on issues identified from the survey, such as why some respondents are not teaching their courses in a classroom that is appropriate for their preferred teaching approaches, and what rooms have poor sight lines and how they could be improved.

These and other insights from the survey cast additional light on what the Teaching and Learning Spaces Committee will consider in its recommendations for changes and upgrades to Waterloo’s classroom standards. This information supplements the Best and Worst Classroom survey findings, classroom utilization reports, and other research and observations gained through on-site visits to date.

The survey also asked about interest in flexible classrooms, which are designed to accommodate a range of teaching approaches by including features such as movable furniture and multiple writing surfaces. A version of flexible classrooms, called Active Learning Classrooms, were named the #1 strategic technology of 2017 by EDUCAUSE, a large international educational technology organization, and many schools are creating such rooms. Nearly two-thirds of Waterloo survey respondents indicated that a course they teach could benefit from a flexible classroom, primarily for classes of small to medium size (up to 90 students), although all class sizes were represented. In addition, 53 respondents volunteered to participate in focus groups to investigate the design and use of flexible classrooms.

On March 12, 2018, as part of the Centre for Teaching Excellence’s Educational Technologies Week, Adam Finkelstein of McGill University, a recognized expert on active and flexible classroom design and use, will be our opening keynote speaker. The committee intends to use this event as a launch for further discussion towards strategic investment in such rooms.

Warrior Van goes on a "toy drive"

“Help make the holidays magical for underprivileged kids,” says a statement from the Department of Athletics and Recreation. “You can make a difference this holiday season by stuffing the Waterloo Warriors van with toys from November 27 until December 22.”

The “Stuff the Warrior Van” toy drive donates toys to children of all ages ranging from infant to 16 years old. 

The objective of the toy drive is to collect unwrapped toys for less fortunate children from the UWaterloo community and donate them to the Knights of Columbus, in collaboration with UW Police, WRPS, and Parking Services.

The campaign officially launched at the Warrior Women's Hockey game at CIF on Thursday, November 30, but the Warrior Van will be making stops and appearances all over campus for the duration of the drive.

Special collection days include the President's Holiday Reception on December 8 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Federation Hall.

Unwrapped toys can be dropped off at the following locations:

• Columbia Ice Field equipment desk, Monday to Sunday from 9:00 a.m. until close;
• The Physical Activities Complex Athletics Office, Monday to Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and
• the Police Services office in the COM, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The presentation of the toy collection will take place on December 22 at 12:00 p.m. when the Warrior Van and UW Police Cruiser come together for a photo op.

Campus police trained to administer Naloxone

As a result of the recent and well-publicized opioid epidemic within both our region and nationally, the University of Waterloo Police Service has recently purchased and received training in the administration of the intra-nasal medication Naloxone.This medication temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.

University of Waterloo Police Service Director Alan Binns advises that this immediate access to Naloxone now provides an additional tool to assist and support the safety and well-being of the University community in the unfortunate event of an opioid overdose.

Additional information on this potentially life-saving medication is available in this video:

Waterloo joins equity knowledge network

The University of Waterloo and Renison University College are part of a team that has been awarded $1 million from Ontario's Ministry of Education to create an equity knowledge network.

The Réseau de Savoir sur l'Équité/Equity Knowledge Network (RSEKN) is a province-wide bilingual initiative that is part of the Ontario government’s Education Equity Action Plan. It is hosted by the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Education and the Centre for Research on Educational and Community Services (CRECS). The purpose of the network is to mobilize research for equity in schools. A team of educational researchers at the University of Ottawa and provincial community partners including Renison will "create, facilitate and support face-to-face and virtual communities of practice (CoPs) that bring together students, researchers, teacher candidates, educators, administrators, school board staff, policy makers and community agencies who seek to address systemic educational inequities across Ontario."

Waterloo's lead is Associate Professor Kristina Llewellyn of Renison's Social Development Studies program.

The network launched on Wednesday, November 15 in Ottawa.

Indigenization strategy group discussions; other notes

Indigenization Strategy group discussions will be taking place on Monday, December 4 and Wednesday, December 13 at Federation Hall. 

During the roundtable sessions, group discussions will be facilitated relating to how the University is developing a response to the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada with particular respect to those pertaining to higher education.

On Monday, December 4, work will begin on the installation of a backflow preventer at Village 1. The work will involve digging up the roadway entering the Village road. Plant Operations advises that only the inbound portion of the entrance will be dug up and the exit portion will still be useable. This work will take approximately 2 weeks to complete. If you have any questions about this project, please email v1maint@uwaterloo.ca.

Today is the last day to provide feedback in the President's Town Hall Meeting survey. Please take a few moments to fill out the President's Town Hall Survey, which will assist University Communications in gathering your feedback on the annual event and in making improvements to the event.